Universal Movies Now Only Need to be In AMC Theaters for 17 Days Before Going VOD

Universal Pictures and AMC Theaters have reached a deal that shortens the time between when a movie premieres in theaters to when it’s able to move to other platforms like digital VOD. The new deal makes it so that Universal can move its films after just three weeks in theaters. Traditionally, movie distributors and cinemas agreed to let a movie run in theaters for 90 days before getting the option to make films available in homes. As reported by The New York Times, the new deal shortens this time considerably to just 17 days. After which films have the option to be distributed via premium video-on-demand services. Universal will also be able to control whether a film plays in theaters longer than 17 days, meaning it can choose to keep movies like Fast and Furious and Jurassic World in theaters for longer if need be. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] “The partnership we’ve forged with AMC is driven by our collective desire to ensure a thriving future for the film distribution ecosystem and to meet consumer demand with flexibility and optionality,” says Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman Donna Langley in a statement. AMC and Universal previously were in a dispute just a few months ago. The theater chain announced it would no longer show Universal Pictures releases in cinemas after Universal released the animated film Trolls World Tour on VOD while theaters were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This new agreement overturns AMC’s decision. Theaters have been left particularly vulnerable to the pandemic as social distancing rules become the norm. Highly anticipated films like Tenet have been delayed repeatedly, and will now premiere first in international theaters where Covid curves have been flattened, before premiering in the U.S. This deal has potentially seismic implications for other movie distributors as the film industry continues to find a way forward during the pandemic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

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